Zakat al-Fitr Amount Per Person: How Much, When, and in Cash?

As Ramadan draws to a close, the same questions come up every year about the zakat al-fitr amount: how many kilograms of rice per person? Can it be paid in cash? When is the deadline? This guide gives you a clear answer based on the Sunnah and the positions of the jurists, with a table of foods and a table of timings, so you can pay for your whole family correctly and on time.

How much is zakat al-fitr per person?

The basis for this amount is the hadith of Abdullah ibn Umar:

“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ made zakat al-fitr obligatory: one sa’ of dates or one sa’ of barley, on every Muslim, slave and free, male and female, young and old, and he ordered that it be paid before the people go out to the prayer.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1503; Sahih Muslim 984)

What is zakat al-fitr and why is it paid?

Zakat al-fitr, also called sadaqat al-fitr or fitrana, is obligatory on every Muslim according to the majority of scholars, as the word “made obligatory” in the hadith shows. It is named after the breaking (fitr) of the Ramadan fast. Ibn Abbas explained its wisdom:

“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ made zakat al-fitr obligatory as a purification for the fasting person from idle talk and obscenity, and as food for the poor. Whoever pays it before the prayer, it is an accepted zakat, and whoever pays it after the prayer, it is just one of the ordinary charities.” (Sunan Abi Dawud 1609; Sunan Ibn Majah 1827)

So it has two clear purposes:

• Purifying the fasting person from the slips of speech and behaviour that may have entered their fast, like a repair for its shortcomings.
• Providing for the poor on Eid, so they share the joy of the day and do not have to ask for help.

Some of the early scholars explained these verses as referring to zakat al-fitr followed by the Eid prayer, which is one of the interpretations given:

﴿قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن تَزَكَّىٰ ۝ وَذَكَرَ اسْمَ رَبِّهِ فَصَلَّىٰ﴾

“He has certainly succeeded who purifies himself. And mentions the name of his Lord and prays.” (Surah Al-A’la 87:14-15, translation: Sahih International)

How many kilograms is one sa’?

A sa’ is a measure of volume, not weight. That is why its weight varies with the food: a sa’ of dates does not weigh the same as a sa’ of rice or wheat, because their density differs. Some scholars described it as four double handfuls of an average man.

Contemporary estimates by weight range from about 2 kg to 3 kg. Some put it a little over 2 kg, while other fatwa bodies set it at about 3 kg as a precaution. In this guide, and in our app’s calculator, we use roughly 2.5 to 3 kg per person. Giving 3 kg is the cautious choice that satisfies the different estimates, and anything extra is a voluntary charity.

Abu Sa’id al-Khudri said: “We used to give zakat al-fitr as one sa’ of food, or one sa’ of barley, or one sa’ of dates, or one sa’ of aqit, or one sa’ of raisins.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1506; Sahih Muslim 985). The majority understand that these foods were named because they were the staples of the time, so any common staple, such as rice today, is acceptable.

What about half a sa’ of wheat?

The Hanafis hold that half a sa’ is due from wheat, based on the judgment of Mu’awiyah and the agreement of some Companions, and a full sa’ from other foods. The majority hold that a full sa’ is due from every food, which is the more cautious view.

Who must pay zakat al-fitr, and for whom?

According to the majority, zakat al-fitr is due on every Muslim who has more than enough food for themselves and their dependants for the night and day of Eid. It does not require the nisab of zakat al-mal (the Hanafis do require the nisab here). You pay it:

• for yourself;
• for your wife, since you are responsible for her maintenance;
• for your young children, and older children you support who have no wealth of their own;
• for your parents, if they are poor and you support them.

Adult children or a wife with their own money pay for themselves, but if the head of the household pays for them with their permission, it is valid.

Is zakat al-fitr paid for an unborn baby?

It is not obligatory for a baby still in the womb according to the majority, but it is recommended; it is reported that Uthman ibn Affan used to pay it for the unborn. A baby born before sunset on the last day of Ramadan must be paid for.

Calculating it for a family

Multiply the number of people by one sa’. A family of five gives five sa’, which is roughly 12.5 to 15 kg of rice or dates. If you pay in cash under the view that allows it, multiply the number of people by the amount announced by your local fatwa authority for that year.

Can zakat al-fitr be paid in cash?

This question comes up every year, and there are two scholarly positions:

• The majority (Malikis, Shafi’is and Hanbalis): cash is not sufficient; it must be given as food, because the Prophet ﷺ prescribed it as food even though money existed in his time, and acts of worship follow the text.
• The Hanafis and those who agree with them: the cash value is acceptable, because the aim is to provide for the poor on Eid, and money may serve their varied needs better. Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta and other fatwa bodies follow this view and announce a minimum cash value each year.

Giving food is more cautious and closer to the apparent meaning of the Sunnah. If you live where your fatwa authority accepts cash, or the recipient clearly needs money more, you may follow this recognised view. Do not rely on last year’s figure; use the amount announced for this year, since prices change.

A practical way to satisfy both views is to appoint a trustworthy charity that buys food and distributes it to the poor before the Eid prayer. You pay the charity, and the recipient receives food. Many mosques and Muslim charities in Western countries run exactly this kind of fitrana distribution.

When should zakat al-fitr be paid?

In Sahih al-Bukhari, Ibn Umar reports: “They used to give it a day or two before the Eid.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1511). Anyone who forgot or delayed for a valid reason until after the prayer should pay it as soon as they remember; the obligation does not lapse.

Planning ahead

Most people who miss the deadline do not intend to; Eid eve and morning are simply busy. Count your household in the last ten nights, choose the food or the charity in advance, and hand it over a day or two before Eid, or on Eid morning before going to the prayer if the recipient lives nearby. If you use a charity, check that it distributes before the Eid prayer, because your agent acts on your behalf in timing too.

Who receives zakat al-fitr?

It is given to the poor and needy, as indicated by the words “as food for the poor” in the hadith. Some jurists allow it to go to all eight categories of zakat recipients, but most give priority to the poor and needy.

• You may give your whole family’s zakat al-fitr to one poor person, or split one person’s share among several.
• It is best given in the country where you are when it becomes due; some scholars allow sending it elsewhere for a need, such as poor relatives abroad.
• It cannot be given to those you must support, such as your parents, children or wife.
• You may appoint a trustworthy charity, provided it reaches the poor before the Eid prayer.

Practical cases: living abroad, intention, and partial payment

Living abroad: where do I pay?

Zakat al-fitr is tied to the person, so you normally pay it in the country where you are at sunset on the last day of Ramadan. A worker living abroad pays for himself where he is, and arranges for his family’s to be paid where they live, through a relative or a reliable charity. Some scholars also allow asking family back home to pay on your behalf there if the need is greater. Either way, it should reach the poor before the Eid prayer in that place.

Intention and appointing an agent

Zakat al-fitr is an act of worship and needs an intention: when you pay it, or hand it to your agent, intend it as zakat al-fitr for yourself and those you are paying for. You may appoint someone to buy and distribute it, and the recipient does not need to be told it is zakat al-fitr.

If you can only afford part of a sa’

Many jurists hold that whoever has only part of a sa’ spare should give what they can, based on the verse ﴿فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ﴾ “So fear Allah as much as you are able” (Surah At-Taghabun 64:16, translation: Sahih International). Whoever has nothing beyond the day’s food owes nothing and need not borrow to pay it.

Zakat al-fitr vs zakat al-mal

For the details of zakat on wealth, see how to calculate zakat step by step, and for gold specifically, the gold nisab for every karat.

Common mistakes

1. Delaying it until after the Eid prayer without a reason, so that it becomes ordinary charity and the delay is sinful.
2. Giving poor-quality food. Allah says: ﴿وَلَا تَيَمَّمُوا الْخَبِيثَ مِنْهُ تُنفِقُونَ﴾ “And do not aim toward the defective therefrom, spending [from that]” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:267, translation: Sahih International).
3. Forgetting a family member, such as a newborn or a student child living away whom you still support.
4. Using an old cash figure instead of this year’s announced amount.
5. Using a channel that delivers after Eid, which defeats its purpose of providing for the poor on the day itself.

In Rafiq Al-Taa, the app we are preparing at Farhoon, a zakat al-fitr calculator multiplies the number of people in your household by one sa’ and gives you the total in kilograms, or in your currency if you enter the value used where you live, alongside a Hijri calendar and a Ramadan timetable. The app is coming soon to Google Play and the App Store.

In short: zakat al-fitr is one sa’ of local staple food per person, paid before the Eid prayer, and it may be paid a day or two early. Where scholars differ, such as paying cash or the exact weight of a sa’, follow your local fatwa authority, and ask local scholars about your personal situation. For more detail, read the hadith on Sunnah.com and the fiqh chapter on zakat al-fitr in the Dorar fiqh encyclopedia (Arabic).